Forgiving Polanski Is Beside The Point

If you haven’t been following the Roman Polanski rape scandal – and the scandal at this point is not that he drugged and raped a child thirty-some-odd years ago, but that people today would like to see him evade justice – then a brief sum-up can be found here.

But I’d like to address the concept that because the victim forgave him, we should, too.

“It seems to me very odd that America, which calls itself a Christian country, is so entirely lacking in the ability to forgive,” says Harwood, who also collaborated with Polanski on Oliver Twist.

That’s not how it works. Not in our judicial system, and not within the confines of Christianity. We are called to forgive those who harm us. Our own relationship with God is at stake in that transaction. “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us,” describes two transactions.  One between us and God, and the other between us and our transgressor. Neither is between our transgressor and God.

There is certainly no evidence that Polanski has repented at all.  Second, even if he had, that does not exempt him from earthly justice.  His wife’s murderers provide an excellent example.  Susan Atkins reportedly became a Christian and repented – yet still died in jail.  Charles “Tex” Watson runs a ministry from jail.  Thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of criminals have been forgiven by God and by their victims are in jail right now.  Forgiven – yet suffering the consequences of their actions.

What separates Roman Polanski from those criminals?  Nothing.  Nothing, except the pleas of a handful of people who consider themselves morally superior to the rest of us yet can’t answer the question posed byJohah Goldberg in my first link:

Giving a grown woman a “roofie” and having sex with her is a crime. How on earth can plying a 13-year-old with champagne and a Quaalude be seen as less heinous?